


Pieces

by Jasy_Light



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2020-12-17 04:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21048134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasy_Light/pseuds/Jasy_Light
Summary: "I come to you in pieces so you can make me whole”Pieces by Red.Arthur saves an elderly woman from street muggers, this chance encounter makes him cross paths with two women who might change his life for the better.Peggy and her granddauther Rose.Peggy adopts Arthur right away but Rose isn't too sure about him yet. Will that change with time?





	1. One

Chapter 1

Arthur was making his way home after work that Wednesday evening.  
It just got dark and he was tired. Only two more days until Friday he thought, then he smiled sourly. He didn't really have any plans except taking care of his mom. But he could at least take a break from his employer and the people who picked on him in the streets on a daily basis.  
There were those assholes teenagers that tried to steal his sign last time, there also were the parents that pointed to him and use him as an example to their childen of what could happen to them if they didn't put enough effort at school.  
Some looked at him in disdain and the rest just ignore him as if he was a lamppost in the street.

His shoulder was hunched, and he was looking at the floor while walking fast. Better not to attract much attention. Gotham city was a nest of scoundrels that liked to prey on people after dark.  
Some of the lights in the streets were not even working, and the ones that worked were not doing a very good job.  
Listening to the police sirens made him walk faster. Suddenly he started to feel very threatened, maybe it was just his anxiety playing with him as always but it was better not risk it. He hastened his steps.

When Arthur turned around the corner he heard some hustle and upon getting closer he saw there were two men attacking an elderly lady.

-"Give it up you fucking bitch! Or I'll smash your fucking face in the pavement!" One of the men said trying to take away the purse she was holding in her hands. She was screaming, asking for help while never letting go of it.

Arthur was scared, but he knew he had to do something. If his mother was in the same situation he'd liked someone to help her too. 'And it was the right thing to do, right?'

'OK, here I go' he thought.

-"Stop, NOW!"  
His voice did not betray him, he sounded menacing and it worked, the men stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

Well, it worked for a second, at least.

-"Who do you think you are, you asshole! "

One of them was approaching now. Neither of the muggers seemed to have guns but he knew they were capable of beating him and the old lady to death.

"So, this is how I die " Arthur thought.  
"At least I tried to help... "  
He started to have a laughing fit, he couldn't control himself and his laughter only infuriated the man further.  


His death was imminent (and very probably the elderly woman's as well) so he might as well try with another strategy.

''The neighbors called the police and they're on their way... ''  
He said as clearly as he could between his laughter, but it was difficult, he was nervous and terrified.  


And at that moment like a miracle, they heard a police car approaching the place.

"Let's go! Quick!” One of the attackers said and both of them ran away not without trying one last time to grab the lady's purse, which she held onto for dear life.  
They threw her violently to the ground but with her purse intact in her hands, Arthur quickly ran up to her.

'' Are you OK ma'am?! '' He asked, offering her his hand and lifting her up.  
''Did they hurt you? It's not the greatest idea to resist, I assume you and your loved ones value your life more than any possession."  
She was scared of him, the way he laughed earlier was not something a sane person would do, but he had a genuinely concerned look and sweet eyes.  
And he was the only one to help her after all, while the other people were just ignoring her or running away in fear of getting themselves robbed too.  
Maybe that maniac laughter was just a nervous tick.  
She decided to trust him.  
'' I'm OK, darling, thank you. I know it was reckless for me to resist but this purse hold an immense sentimental value, it was my late husband's last gift to me before passing away." Said the old lady smiling up at him. She had kind eyes.  
''Did the neighbors really call the police? ''  
'' Oh no! ma'am, I made that up as a last resort to save our lives, we'd better get out of here before they realize it! '' Arthur said and offered her his arm.  
While they were making their way out of the dark alley, the police car passed right by them, ignoring Arthur's gestures to pull over.  
"Well, at least they saved us with the mere sound of their sirens, thank God." said the old lady.  


He ended up escorting her to her house, her name was Peggy and was visiting a sick friend, another elderly woman by the name Patricia.  
When she left Patricia's apartment, she tried to get a cab and since there was none, she thought it was a good idea to use the bus and got a little desoriented, making a wrong turn to that very dark street when those men attacked her.  


They were entering a nice suburban neighborhood -not the richest area in Gotham- but a very nice place nonetheless, where you could find houses with gardens, dogs and trees and the extreme noise and craziness of the city was barely heard, he recalled coming here ages ago, when he was a teen and worked delivering newspapers.

Peggy did not look like the old ladies in his neighborhood, she was well dressed and very nice, not grumpy. Yep! Not like the old ladies in his neighborhood at all.

'' My granddaughter is going to be very pissed at me for getting into trouble'' said Peggy.

She always tells me: "Mamma Peggy, if you want to go somewhere just tell me and I will take you, specially if it's near downtown"  
''Well. She's right, Gotham is more dangerous now than it's ever been, downtown is a melting pot of low-lives” Replied Arthur.  


When they got to her home, Peggy insisted Arthur stayed for dinner.

'' My granddaughter won't be having dinner at home tonight, she went to her friend's birthday party and I'd love to have some company, I don't like eating alone''  


He wanted to stay, he really wanted to, but thought about his mother, she needs him at home. On the other hand, he had a terrible day and was in a desperate need of a little distraction.  
“Mom will be fine it's only a couple of hours '' he thought.  


In the end, he decided to stay.

It's been a long, long time since someone has shown any interest in him to the point of wanting an actual conversation. Plus, it's going to be just for today. He was sure Peggy asked him to stay just to thank him anyway, and they won't be crossing paths ever again.

Upon entering the house, he felt so out of place, everything was so... Cozy.

The furniture, wallpaper and the curtains were all pastel in color.  


Peggy left him in there for a second to answer a phone call.

Arthur couldn't remember ever being in such a pretty house.  


He started fantasizing. How different his life would be if he grew up in here? With Peggy as his grandma, things sure would be different.

He felt a tug in his heart, he loves his mother, he really does, but sometimes he feels some deep seeted resentment towards her, he imagined it was because taking care of her was a very exhausting part of his life. He felt embarrassed for feeling like that, he was being so unfair to her.

'' You have no shame Arthur, you ungrateful idiot! '' He scolded himself in his mind.  


'' Isn't she pretty? She's my Rosie. How I wish you'd met her! She's the sweetest girl ever '' Peggy's voice snapped him back to reality.

He was looking but not exactly paying attention to the picture of a sweet- looking young woman the moment he dived in into his thoughts.  
"Oh..." exclaimed Arthur, startled for the interruption, he hadn't paid any attention to what Peggy said so he just smiled, hoping it wasn't a question.  
"Come on, son! Help me make dinner, do you like cooking? ''  
'' Yes, I actually do, I'm the one that cooks at home"  
"Great!"

They talked a lot and Peggy was a great listener, he felt he could trust her.  
" You, poor child! I hope your condition didn't cause you a lot of trouble with people, they can be very rude and cruel"

Peggy felt her heart breaking for Arthur. He was talking so casually about the horrible ways people treated him and yet he smiled, no making a big deal out of it.  
And on top of that he had a sick mother.  
"Most of the time I try to go unnoticed, really, and it works. If nobody bothers me, I'm fine"  


"Is that your husband?" Arthur pointed to the fridge, where there was a picture of a man in miliary suit. He wanted to change the subject, the atmosphere was too gloomy.

Soon, they were laughing, thanks to Peggy's awesome ability to tell stories.  
\- '' Did you really run away from home? Just like that? ... ''  
-'' I left a note and I wasn't remorseful at all. I've always rejected my parent's way of judging everyone, plus I was young and in love, in their eyes he was a good for nothing even though he worked very hard... His only fault was being poor, but everything's ended up being ok and we were immensely happy until he passed away...''  
Peggy's voice trembled a little, after all this time, it was still very difficult talking about her husband without tearing up.  
"It's great that you got to experience that, the time you spent together, I mean, you were so lucky, not everybody has that opportunity"  
Arthur said, smiling and trying to sound cheerful, but this type of stories always made him feel bad and awakened a longing he tried to bury deep inside of him.  
How much he wanted to experience that...  
Someone that could love him for the way he is, someone happy to see him, someone that would want to touch him...  


"Tell me now Arthur, do you have a special someone?" asked Peggy snapping him away from thoughts once more.

"No, uhm. With my condition... It's very difficult. No woman would want a man with outbursts of uncontrollable laughter at inappropriate times. No, I'm definitely not a person you'd want to take home to your parents " he said with a chuckle.  
Well, that wasn't the only reason. He was very messed up in a lot of ways, he was a looser.  
So it was better not to even think about romance.  
" Arthur! That's not such a way to talk about yourself! You're a lovely young man, I'm sure you'll find someone for you in the future, your condition is not problem at all once the people around you get used to it, and correct me if I'm wrong but you haven't had any bad fits since we were left alone by those punks in the street. If you aren't under stress it's more manageable, isn't it?"

"It’s...”

Arthur was interrupted by someone entering the kitchen.  


"Mom, I'm back early!.. the party was dramatically shut down by Anna's jealous boyfriend, can you belie..."

Rose stopped in the kitchen door, she was surprised to see her grandmother with company, a man she had never seen before was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in his hand, he stood up quickly when she looked at him and almost spilled the contents of the cup all over tablecloth.

She looked at her grandmother looking for an answer.  
“Rose, this is my hero, Arthur Fleck, Arthur this is my beautiful granddaughter, Rose."  
Peggy was smiling brightly and motioned for Rose to shake Arthur's extended hand.  
"Your what?!" Exclaimed Rose, she didn't realize she left Arthur's hand hanging until he withdrew it.  
She quickly apologized extending him her hand herself.  
"I'm sorry, nice to meet you!"  
She said looking into his eyes. She always liked to look people straight to the eye when she met them for the first time. It was a good way to judge their character, but she couldn't do that to Arthur for a long time because he quickly looked down, and she noticed he also was slightly blushing.  
'Uhm, he's extremely shy and has beautiful eyes' was Rose's first impression of him.  
"Likewise" was Arthur's short answer. He felt uncomfortable under Rose's intense gaze, he wasn't used to people looking at him so directly.  
Peggy explained to her granddaughter what happened earlier with the muggers and how Arthur was the only one that came to her aid.  
Rose listened, concerned.  


After making her grandma promise her to never go out alone again, (even more so to those dangerous places) Rose turned to Arthur, and said:

"Thank you, Arthur, truly, there are no more men left like you in this God forsaken city"  


Arthur was so taken aback and had no idea how to respond, he never thought someone could say something like that to him, ever.

He wanted to know what to say, is a 'thank you' appropriate? Maybe a 'no problem' and change of subject, or the plain truth: “I'm garbage and deep down I feel like it's going to be a great favor to everyone (myself included) to just get killed and I often fantasize about death anyway...”  
But before he had time to say anything, he felt the laughter coming in his chest. 'No, no, no. Not now!' he thought.  
And the first chuckle escaped his lips, then another and soon enough he was laughing uncontrollably.  


He didn't look at Rose, he couldn't. He felt so embarrassed.

Peggy was quick to explain Arthur's condition to Rose who was watching in complete horror.

"Don't worry son, take your time" Peggy said compassionately.  
When he managed to control himself, he looked completely exhausted.  
"I- I'm so sorry" Arthur said mortified, with a soft voice, almost like a whisper.  
He slowly looked up where Rose was standing, but she wasn't there anymore.  
She was filling a glass with water and handed it to him.  
"Don't worry Arthur. It's nothing, grandma explained it all to me. Here, have some water, your throat must be hurting." 

Arthur accepted the glass, and smiled weakly in thanks. Rose took this opportunity to look into his green eyes again, they were even more vibrant in color now, full of unshed tears.  


'Poor thing' she thought.

"Well, who's hungry? Dinner's ready!"

Peggy cut the uncomfortable atmosphere.  


"I am!" exclaimed Rose. "It smells delicious!" 

"Arthur helped with the sauce, he also gave me great cooking tips" said Peggy smiling.  


Arthur felt better while they were eating, Rose still intimidated him a little, he knew she was scrutinizing him, he felt her distrust radiating from her, but still, she was nicer to him than ninety percent of the people he had to deal with on a daily basis.

Rose was talking about her job. She was a kindergarten teacher.

" I'm telling you, it's outrageous the state of neglect some of our poor little students suffer from their parents, in the next meeting I'm seriously asking them what the fuck is going on with them, they need to take care of their fucking kids!"  
"Language" said Peggy looking at Rose with reproach.  
Arthur was surprised by Rose's outburst. She was soft spoken and had a very delicate look, specially her big kind eyes. Upon looking at her you wouldn't suspect she was capable of swearing. He found it very amusing.  
He gave her a soft smile and she returned it.  
'' Sorry, ma'am " exclaimed Rose dramatically.  


'' And what do you do for a living, Arthur?" She asked Arthur shifting the conversation to him.  
He felt uncomfortable with Rose's question, for some reason he didn't want them to know he earned money dressing as a clown. 

It was the first time in his life he felt like that, ashamed maybe? He thought about inventing some nice office job for him but in the end he decided to tell the truth, after all, it was the first and only time they'll be seeing each other, their judgment of his job didn't really matter.  
-"Rose! It's rude to ask people that sort of questions the first time you're meeting them" Peggy said turning to Rose.  
-"No, no, it's fine" replied Arthur looking at Peggy.  
Then, turning to Rose, since she was the one asking, he said: "I work as a clown, people hire me to advertise their businesses in the streets, sometimes I go to Children's Hospitals and birthdays parties."  
He was paying close attention to her reaction, that first started with surprise then slowly changed to something he couldn't really decipher.  
But at least it seemed positive. ''Amazing! "She exclaimed smiling at him.  
"Indeed" agreed Peggy, whom also seemed to have a genuine positive reaction.

When it was time to leave, Rose insisted to drive him home, but he refused, not wanting to inconvenience her like that.  
But upon hers and Peggy's insistence he let her drive him to the bus stop that was only a few blocks away.  
When they were saying goodbye, Peggy gave him a hug and he almost teared up, not even him noticing how much he needed that.  
"Please my dear, come back whenever you feel like it. Actually, come have dinner with us again next Friday night!"  
Arthur felt so happy to hear that, was she saying it only to be nice? He hoped not, he enjoyed spending time in this house with Peggy and even with Rose (whom he knew wasn't very sure of him yet)  
" Sure! " he said enthusiastically.

Rose was driving back home after leaving Arthur at the bus stop, "what a strange man he is" she said aloud.

Their conversation in the car was pleasant, although Arthur was even more shy without the presence of Peggy, Rose noticed.

Her friends usually tell her how intimidating she can be

He was telling her about his mother, she thought it was very sweet that he took care of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was 10 pm when Arthur got home, his mother was already asleep, tomorrow he'll invent something job- related to her as the reason for coming home late, he did not want her to know where he spent the night.  
She always told him she was concerned by his lack of friends but he knew she also got jealous of him spending time with other people (not that it happened often) but she was like that for as long as he could remember...  
He fell asleep with a soft smile on his face. The sound of police sirens and drunk people fighting outside his window didn't even bother him. Tomorrow he'll have to face the cold world again, but not tonight.  
Tonight the world seemed a little less cruel and not as heavy.

Rose couldn't sleep. That often happened to her.  
She was a night-person, she would write, read or prepare her classes late at night.  
But now, she couldn't stop thinking about Arthur. Everything about him was intriguing.  
He seemed so sad and lonely, even when he was smiling, there was a certain darkness around him, and at the same time, his eyes were so sweet.  
And he works as a clown? That was strange. How can someone like him make people's laugh?  
Maybe today he just had a very bad day and that wore him out.  
On the other hand, while they were talking in the car he mentioned he was 35 years old, that's only 5 years older than her, and yet he seemed much, much older.  
One tiring day can't age you like that, one tiring life can.  
Rose felt sorry for Arthur, he mentioned he didn't really have anyone close to him other than his mother and even so, she still wasn't sure she wanted him in her house again, getting close to her grandma. Did she feel scared of him?  
No, it wasn't fear.  
He was just a person with too much emotional baggage.  
"Am I being a judgmental jerk? She asked herself aloud looking in the mirror.  
"Well, Definitely " answered her own voice inside her head.  
Rose made a resolution before going to sleep to the sound of the wind moving the leaves of the trees in the patio:  
"Next Friday when he comes to dinner, I'll be more pleasant and I'm gonna try to know him more. Yep, that's what I'm doing" 

Those were Rose's last thoughts before closing her eyes...

And yet, that Friday came but Arthur never showed up.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter was too long so I had to split it in two parts because I have no self control, Sorry!

It was Thursday afternoon, Rose was walking in the busy downtown streets and she was hating it with a passion.  
People in Gotham were always in a rush.  
Occasionally someone would bump into her or walk too close, invading her personal space, urging her to walk faster “they look like headless chickens” Rose thought.

She avoided crowded spaces in Gotham like the plague but this afternoon she had no option.

She needed to buy school supplies for her students.  
Rose and the other teacher in her class decided to put aside some of their money every month and buy the more neglected kids things like school supplies and food.  
Every time some of the kids needed something they’d take some of that money and buy it.

And the only store with decent prices was in the middle of fucking downtown Gotham.  
“Don’t let people get on your nerves, Rose’’ she repeated like a mantra.

Abruptly, Rose stopped in the middle of the street. Someone caught her attention in the opposite sidewalk, a clown dancing in front of a store, he was holding a sign advertising sales.  
"Shit! Is - is that Arthur?  
Yes, it's definitely him." She said aloud.  
She couldn’t really understand why she was so surprised to see him.  
It was only last night when they had dinner together at her house.  
It was only last night when Arthur was her last thought before falling asleep.

She observed him closely. He actually looked happy doing this,she thought, at least on the outside.  
The total opposite of the man she met yesterday.  
"I wonder if I should say hello?"  
"No! He's working Rose, plus you're seeing him tomorrow night again, remember?"  
She was having an internal debate with herself.

In the end she decided it was better to leave him alone, he was working after all.  


What Rose didn't want to accept, was that she'd rather not have to talk to him unless strictly necessary.

She just kept walking...

Arthur was having an uneventful day so far.  
He was craving a cigarette and a cup of coffee and was anxiously waiting for his shift to end.  
He wasn't aware of the woman staring at him on the other side of the street just some moments ago.

Suddenly, he felt how his sign was janked from his hands.  
"Oh no! Not again"  
He didn't have much time to think, he started chasing the kids that took his sign.  
It was difficult to run with his clown shoes.  
"Please, please stop" he thought.  
Turning down the alley, he didn't see them waiting for him, and out of nowhere came a loud crash and he fell to the ground full of pain and disoriented  
Then more pain, they were kicking him and laughing.  
He was trying to cover his vital organs with his arms.  
"Please, stop, please, please..." he repeatedly said in his head.

When they finally left him alone he tried to stand up, slowly.  
The sign was on the ground shattered.  
"I can fix it..." he thought upon looking at it.

Rose left the store, she bought everything she needed and now she had some free time in her hands.  
She remembered that delicious bakery and coffee shop some blocks down the street and decided to go grab a coffee and a bagel.  
The thought cheer her up inmediatly.

But something was bothering her in the back of her mind.  
Rose couldn't stop thinking about Arthur.  
He constantly showed up in her thoughts since yesterday night.  
And now she was feeling guilty for not wanting to say hello to him earlier.  
Why was she being like that?

"Maybe he's still there, I'll go say hello and ask him to accompany me to have some coffee when he's free"

She walked back to the spot where she saw Arthur earlier, but he wasn't there anymore.

Rose felt relieved and that made her mad at herself.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night came. Peggy and Rose were waiting for Arthur and after some hours it was obvious he wasn’t coming.

-"I'm worried Rosie, I hope nothing serious happened to him"

\- "Don't worry mom, I'm sure he has things to do or maybe something showed up last minute, that's all" 

"Let's hope that's the case, dear"

Rose was trying to sound reassuring but she was also slightly worried. In Gotham you can never be sure.

She didn't tell her grandma that she found Arthur working in the streets the day before.  
She was already planning to return to the same spot tomorrow at the same hour, just to make sure everything was OK.  
“I’m sure he’s fine…” Rose said to herself.  
However her intuition told her something was wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arthur was smoking in the kitchen.  
Every part of his body hurt. He felt like shit.  
He got jumped and yet he was the one expected to pay for that stupid sign.  
Going today to the social worker's office was futile, she never listened anyway.

He was the loneliest man in the world, in his tiny and suffocating life ...

His mind went to Peggy and Rose and the appointment he had with them tonight.  
He was never seeing them again.  
He didn't want to go back to that house anymore.  
It was the only good thing that happened to him in ages, what if it was all a fantasy he created ? Maybe they didn't want him there anyway.  
He will keep that memory and it will serve him to warm his heart in moments like this.  
But he is never going back. He was sure he was doing them a favor.  
All Arthur wanted in this moment was to disappear.

His laughter echoed in the kitchen and he was trying his best to control it, not wanting to wake his mother.  
He put a hand on his mouth trying to muffle the sound while angry tears were running down his face...


	3. Three.

It was Monday morning, Rose was debating on wether or not going back looking for Arthur again. Last Saturday she went early, but he wasn't there. Once again, she felt relieved...  
In the end, she decided it was better like that. As much as she felt sorry for Arthur, there was something in him that was too heavy, too dark and too sad. She'd never in her life met such a conflicted man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Afternoon came and Arthur found himself just walking aimlessly around.  
He never did that, but today his shift ended earlier and he really didn't want to go back home.  
Arthur thought about his apartment, his mother... How much he wanted to forget everything and run away. He remembered his meltdown last Friday. He felt better now but his depression was still lingering, following everywhere he went.

That made him think about Peggy's house. Was it even real?  
Four days had passed, but it felt like so long ago.

Arthur found himself boarding a bus and going to Peggy's neighborhood, he had no intentions of visiting her, he just wanted to see the house.

He walked a few blocks in. The house was there with its pale pink color, the huge willow tree standing next to the sidewalk and multicolored flowers in the garden.  
Even more beautiful now in broad sunlight.

He started fantasizing again, that pretty house as his home, with Peggy and Rose waiting for him every night.  
He imagined Rose as his little sister, they'd fight a lot but in the end everything would be fine, because they love each other.  
They'd eat dinner and laugh together, he would have nice and interesting conversations with them, they would care for each other.

But he snapped himself out of that fantasy.  
"Arthur, don't. Stop being delusional!" he scolded himself.  
He turned around and went back before some neighbor decided a strange man looking longingly at a house was weird and suspicious enough to call the police.

"Arthur!"

He heard his name being called by a familiar voice.

Looking up he saw Rose in her blue car slowly coming in his direction.

"Hey!" replied Arthur. He sounded and looked tired.

"So you came to visit the only day everyone in the house decided to go out, huh?" Rose said happily, she was both relieved that he was fine and nervous because now she had to make an effort and talk with him.

"So it seems..."

"Well, I'm here now, so let's go" Rose motioned to the passenger's sit with her head.

"I don't want to bother you if you're busy, I can come back any other day" said Arthur, hoping deep inside that she insisted.

"Come on Arthur! Unless you hate the sight of me and the thought of spending some time in my presence is simply unbearable..."  
She said dramatically, trying to make him smile.  
And it worked.

"No! Of course it's not like that..." He said smiling and looking directly at her face for a second before looking elsewhere.  
Rose observed that when he was genuinely smiling his eyes lit up beautifully. He had remarkable green eyes.

"Hop on then!"

"We were expecting you last Friday" Rose was parking the car in the entrance.

"You were?" replied Arthur with an incredulous tone.

"Yeah? I mean, I remember you accepting grandma's invitation for dinner?"  
Rose looked at him questioningly.

"Yes! I'm sorry I couldn't make it som- something happened that day. Sorry, really..." He felt himself blushing under her intense gaze, again.

'' Don't worry Arhur, I understand. OK?" She declared quickly. The last thing she wanted was for him to start having a laughing fit like last time.

"Do you want some tea? Let's get inside."

They were in the living room and the atmosphere was uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

''How's your mom Arthur?''

"She's doing well, thank you"

"I'm glad to hear that…"

God! How much they sucked at small talk.

Rose turned the TV on to alleviate the awkward silence.

Suddenly an advert appeared for the new season of Live with Murray Franklin.

It was a compilation of funny interviews he made in the past season plus a short monologue by the host himself talking about paticularities of life at Gotham.

It was very funny and relatable and made both of them burst out laughing.

Rose noticed how Arthur seemed to laugh longer than normal. Longer than he wanted to.

It must be for his condition, she thought.

"I've never watched this show, is it any good?" asked Rose trying to make conversation.

"Are you kidding? It's great! Murray is my hero" Arthur sounded enthusiastic about something for the first time since she met him.  
"I should start watching it then" She said, relieved for lifting the heavy atmosphere at least for some moments.

"Well, if you like stand up comedy, you might like it. There's some of that in the show"  
He talked to her but still couldn't really look directly at her face.

"Do you like stand up comedy?" Rose asked him again, happy that he was talking more.

"I love it, actually, I'm pursuing a stand up comedy career"

"Really?!" Rose couldn't hide her surprise. Arthur and stand up comedy...  
He definitely didn't look like those douchy dudes that joke about their wives being bitches.

"Arthur, when you get famous, promise me you won't forget us" she said in a false serious tone.

"Excuse me, I don't even know who you are"

"You jerk!" Rose exclaimed throwing him a pillow that he dodged.

The pillow landed on the coffee table knocking a vase that shattered the moment it touched the floor.

Both of them laughed more.

''Shit! Arthur help me hide the evidence!" She said picking up the fragments of the vase and trying to contain her laughter.

''I'm telling Peggy you did it!" Arthur teased. 

''You traitor! " She exclaimed trying hard to fake being offended but couldn't hide her grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phone rang, it was Peggy telling Rose she was ready to go home.

"OK mommy, I have a surprise for you. No, no. You'll see when I get there." Rose was smiling and looking at Arthur.

"Hey! Let's go pick up grandma from her friend's house"

"OK" He'd go wherever she wanted.

"Oh my God Arthur! It's so nice to see you darling"  
Peggy hugged Arthur, he had to bend down a little to be able to hug her back, her head barely reaching his shoulders.

" See mom? Didn't I tell you he was OK? Said Rose smiling at them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rose dropped Arthur near his building in front a very long step passageway.

"You don't need to go around the whole block, the building is at the end of the steps"

Arthur was starting to feel melancholic again.

"Whoa! Do you really use these steps every day? I bet they're great for cardio" said Rose unaware of Arthur's sudden change in mood.

"Yeah, they're very exhausting actually."

He tried to sound cheerful but it was difficult, being so close home was like stepping into his sad reality again.  
He thought about his mother and once again was hit by guilt, he didn't want to associate her with his sadness but in this moment it was very difficult not to.

Arthur was getting out of the car and after closing the door he leaned back in the window.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you" Said Arthur, and this time he was the one looking at her so intensely.

"What for, Arthur?"

"For being good to me. Please tell Peggy I'm so thankful to her too. You are too good to me, I don't deserve it"

"You deserve to be treated as a human being Arthur, please don't forget that"  
Rose was looking directly into his eyes.  
This time he didn't look away.

"Thank you" Arthur said again. "Goodnight"  
He went up the steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was 0:30 am.

Rose was trying very hard to focus and write the novel she was working on at the moment.  
It was difficult.

She decided to just give up and started pacing up and down her room drinking tea and thinking about Arthur.

Arthur, Arthur, Arthur...

"I don't know what to do with you..."

Since she met him six days ago... Every single night since that day, she fell asleep thinking about him.

Rose felt sorry for him. He was so lonely that people treating him like a human being was enough to make him attach himself to them instantly.

She didn't want that.

"I don't have the strength to deal with this kind of person" She thought.

She took her old diary from her bedside table, it was always her last resort when she couldn't sleep.  
The pages were full of random thoughts.  
_'Dad loves you, he just doesn't know how to be a father'_  
'Call him tomorrow'  
'Nobody could help mom from herself, you tried everything'

Now she added a new one, this time it was addressed at the person in question. Rose knew she could never say this to him in person but it was cathartic to write it anyway.

_"Arthur_

_What to do with you...?  
You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and you deserve so much better, you deserve friendship and understanding._

_ I was just talking with mamma Peggy about this. She know how lonely you are and feels for you._  
You remind her of my mother, I'm sure.  
She said you were welcome in this house whenever you feel like it and that I don't need to get close to you if I don't want to. 

_ 'Just be nice to him, Rosie' she said._

_The problem is, I do want to offer you my friendship.  
I can't stop thinking about you. And this afternoon we had a great time together._

_I'm just not ready to deal with the weight of your sadness.  
I know I'm being a bitch and I hate myself for that "_

Soon after writing all that, her chest felt less tight.  
Writing was a momentary solution, at least it helped getting it all out from her mind, untangling her thoughts a little.  
She put her diary back in her bedside table and went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. Four

Arthur visited Peggy's house several times after that Monday.  
Coming for tea and talking with her was therapeutic in a way. She would always gave great advice and listened to him in ways his own mother never did.

Even though he never mentioned his darkest thoughts to her because he didn't want to upset her with his fatalism and grim world view, for the first time in his life he felt like someone cared for him.

His mother had a good and loving heart but she was never there. Ever since he's remembered she'd put him aside for men that didn't really care for her and even less for him. She was a hopeless romantic falling in love with someone new each month, leaving her son to the side, like he was second or sometimes third in her life priorities.

With time he became her caregiver and now he was everything she'd ever had. But she couldn't be a mother anymore. Her fragile health turned her into a child. Speaking with her was like speaking to a little girl, she couldn't offer support or understanding in any way, she had to be shielded from the world and her fantasies must be protected at all cost or else she'd refuse to eat or take her medicine.

So Peggy's house became like an oasis of peace for Arthur, the only place in the world where he was welcomed.  
After every visit he felt happy, or at least as happy as he could get.

The only thing starting to bother him was that he hasn't seen Rose ever since that Monday two weeks ago. It seemed like she was avoiding him.

Arthur tried not to think too much about it. His awkward nature made him difficult to be with. And everybody in every place he went always made sure he knew it.

He remembered elementary and high school, he was always the weirdo that laughed at inappropriate times. Then, in all the jobs he had, nobody really had the time nor the patience to get to know him. He gave up trying to have friends.

Until he and Peggy crossed paths.

"You are quite distracted today son, is everything OK?" Peggy was concerned, even if Arthur never told her everything crossing his mind, she could notice when something troubled him.

"Yeah, some days my mind tend to wander more than normal, that's all" replied Arthur smiling.

They heard a car parking outside and women talking and laughing loudly.

"Oh! Those must be Rosie and Anna! I have to make more tea!" Peggy exclaimed in delight.

Arthur was left alone in the living room while Peggy went to the kitchen. He was nervous, seeing Rose again, plus meeting one of her friends was enough to put him tense. He stood up when he saw the women entering the living room.

"Arthur! It's so great to see you" Said Rose smiling."This is my best friend Anna, Anna, this is Arthur"

"Nice to meet you Arthur!"

"You too" Replied Arthur shaking Anna’s hand.

She had long blonde hair and blue eyes, a striking contrast with Rose who had abundant raven hair and dark brown eyes. That they were very aesthetically pleasing together was Arthur’s first thought.

Arthur ended up feeling comfortable, Anna was very kind and Rose was relaxed around him.

"Rosie talked so much about you Arthur"

If looks could kill, Anna would be dead for the way Rose looked at her at that moment.

"She did?" Arthur looked at Rose first then turned to Anna. "What did she say?"

"She said you were funny and cute and you know what? She's right" Anna winked at Arthur making him blush.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Awww, you're all red, so cute" Anna reached out across the tea table trying to pinch his cheek as she usually does with everybody.  
But her hand was abruptly stopped by Rose.  
Who muttered "behave yourself" to Anna.

Peggy was watching everything in silent amusement then decided to intervene on behalf of Arthur who was very red.

"You're embarrassing our dear Arthur, Anna. He's very shy"

"Oh no! That wasn't my intention’’ said Anna with genuine regret. Then turning to Arthur “Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable" 

"No, no, it's OK..."

Rose had told Anna everything about Arthur. How they met, his condition, and how she couldn't sleep some nights thinking about him.  
At first Anna was convinced Rose felt something for Arthur, something more than just pity, after all, nobody looses sleep hours over someone you don't like "that" way.

But now, upon meeting him she realized he wasn't exactly Rose's type, plus, he was very awkward indeed.  
She wanted to relax a little bit the atmosphere trying to make him feel good with the things she said, and being her flirty self (she'd flirt with a lamp if she was left alone in a room) it came effortlessly to her.  
Anna was the type of person that compliments and flirts with everybody. Lovers, friends, strangers, men and women. She loved to make people feel good about themselves but it seemed the only thing she achieved with Arthur was making him feel uncomfortable.

She would never know that she accomplished her mission. Although Arthur wasn't used to people telling him that kind of things and he knew Anna was joking, it made him feel good nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon it got dark and the clock would strike 8 o’clock.  
Arthur decided it was time to go home but they all insisted he stay for dinner.

"Come on Arthur! Just say yes. It'll be fun, Rose and me bought a bottle of red wine earlier...Talking about that, I left the bottle in your car Rosie, give me the keys"

"Here you go" Rose tossed the key in the air for Anna to catch it.

"I'll drive you home after dinner Arthur, you don't want to miss grandma's lasagna recipe" Rose was sprawled on the sofa on the other side.

Unconsciously, Arthur got closer to her.

"Don't worry about it, I can take the bus or the subway... "

"There's no way I'm letting you do that"

"Rose"... Arthur wanted to say something but was interrupted by Anna bursting through the door back inside the house with the bottle of wine in her hands.

"I got it, let's go grab some glasses" Anna said going straight to the kitchen.

"You’ll eat first, THEN you can drink your wine, now children, set the table please" Peggy yelled from the kitchen, she was taking the lasagna out of the oven.

"After you, sir" said Rose to Arthur

"Rose? " He tried again.

"Yeah?"

"Remember that last time when I told you about wanting to be a stand up comedian and all of that?" asked Arthur, hesitantly.

"Yes"

"Well, I got a show next Saturday night” 

“That’s amazing Arthur!”

“Yeah. It's gonna my first show ever, actually, and I was wondering if you wanted to come, you can take Anna with you if want..." 

"Uhm, sorry Arthur, I – I’m having a birthday party next Saturday. It's a very close friend's birthday and I can't miss it for the world, or else be sure I'll be there in the front row..."

It was an excuse, and Arthur had his suspicions about it. It was in the way she never looked at his face while answering. That wasn't normal behavior for her.

"Don't worry about it, maybe next time... "He didn't really expect her to say yes, but he felt disappointed anyway.

"I'm sure you'll do great" Said Rose, slightly squeezing his arm while walking to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
_Saturday night._

Rose was in her PJs watching TV in the living room and well, once again thinking about Arthur. She really, really hoped everything went well for him tonight.

She was starting to regret her decision not to go to his show, maybe she didn't need to put so many walls between them. 

The phone ringing interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello? "

"Rosie, I've got great news!" It was Anna speaking.

"I'm listening..."

"Dan is away on a business trip, what about we do something tonight! We can go out or something, then you can sleep over at my apartment and go back home early morning, what do you say?"

" Well, Annie, I'm already in my PJs and you know I'm not a big fan of going out partying and that type of stuff"

"Oh, come on! Please Rosie, I can call Liam, you know? He'll be happy to see you, didn't you like Liam? Besides I really need to distract myself. We fought again with Dan. It was ugly, there's no need to go clubbing, something quiet will do"

"OK, but promise we'll really go somewhere quiet and you won't change your mind later, I'm not in the mood to deal with crowds at the moment" Said Rose thinking about what to wear.

"Yay! Come pick me up at nine"

Anna and Rose met Liam in front of a bar in downtown. He said the atmosphere there was quiet and they'd be able to talk without invasive music. It sounded perfect for Rose. Liam already bought their tickets.

He hugged the two women when he saw them. He gave Rose a specially long hug.

"Let's go pick a table, I was told they have stand up comedy tonight, I think it’s gonna be interesting"

"Ohhh shit!" thought Rose. "Please let there be just a coincidence"

They got a table very far from the stage, ordered some drinks and waited for the show to start.

"Are you ok, Rosie?" asked Anna when Liam went to the bathroom. "You don't have to be so nervous, he clearly likes you as well"

"Yeah, I'm fine" replied Rose trying to act normal.

Then it was the moment to introduce the guy that was doing the stand up.

It wasn't Arthur. Rose sighed relieved.

They got their drinks, she'd occasionally flirt with Liam.

The guy doing the act was making everybody loose it with laughter, she thought he was good, too predictable for her taste, but he was charismatic and she was enjoying it nonetheless.

When the guy finished the act he said goodbye and everybody applauded. Then he came back running to the stage.

"Ah! But before I forget it, we have a very special guest tonight, a life - long Gotham resident, who from a young age was always told his purpose in life was to bring laughter and joy into this dark cold world”  
Uhm OK?- Please welcome Arthur Fleck..."

Rose’s heart skipped a beat.

Anna looked at Rose's direction, surprised.

"OH MY GOD, it's Arthur!"

"You known him?" Asked Liam.

"Yeah" was Rose's only answer.

He couldn't even greet the audience before a laughing fit took hold of him.  
He was desperately trying to make it stop, trying to carry on talking as if nothing was happening.

"Oh no, poor, poor Arthur" exclaimed Anna.

Rose, couldn't look away, she felt discomfort and a tint of secondhand embarrassement, her heart was breaking for him.

"God! This guy sucks, the fuck is he laughing at?"

"Liam, shut up, he has a medical condition" Said Anna punching him in the arm.

When he finished his set, Rose turned to Anna and muttered "I need to speak with you, now "

"Excuse us a minute Liam"

Rose was taking Anna near the entrance of the bar.

"Annie, I have to find Arthur and talk with him" Rose was looking around worried, trying to find Arthur.

"I know, poor guy, when you told me about his condition I've never imagined it was like that” 

“I wonder if he already left"

"We can ask the... There he is! "Anna pointed to Arthur as he was leaving for the main entrance.

"I think I should follow him... I'll offer to take him home, can you please made up something to Liam?"  
Rose was looking anxiously in the direction where Arthur disappeared some moments ago.

"Don't worry Rosie, I’ll take care of that, just go" Said Anna.

"Thank you Annie" Rose gave Anna a quick kiss in the cheek and ran away towards Arthur's direction. 

Arthur was walking slowly, smoking and not paying attention to his surroundings. His first show was a total disaster, he was seriously considering discarding his dreams. It was obvious now that he couldn't even start a set without a laughing fit.

"Arthur, wait!" He turned around and saw, Rose? running towards him, she was coming straight from Pogo's entrance.

"Oh no, you were there? I feel so embarrassed" He said and kept walking as if trying to run away from her.

"Please, Arthur, don't" said Rose urgently "You were nervous ok? That's normal"

" I thought I was ready for this, I've waited this opportunity all my life, only to throw it all away, I can't never do things right"

He was on the verge of tears but started laughing instead. He couldn't seem to stop.  
Rose's heart was shattered, "you poor, poor soul" she thought.  
She wanted to give him a hug. But she knew it meant crossing a boundary.  
He kept walking and she was following him for six blocks now.

"Arthur stop! " she said, stopping him in his tracks by holding one of his hands.

"You were nervous" she looked up trying to meet his eyes. "That's normal, anybody would be, stepping on a stage for the first time... Don't beat yourself up for that, you can always try again, right?"

Arthur was calm now, he was looking at her hand holding his, it was tiny and warm.

" And I can't follow you anymore Arthur, you know why?"

He looked at her but said nothing, not really getting what she was talking about.

" I parked my car six blocks in the other direction"

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, I didn't realize I walked away this far"

He accompanied her back to her car and they walked those blocks in total silence, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable.

She was holding his arm. It was getting cold and she was liking the warmth radiating from him, it felt nice.

"OK, here we are" she said breaking the silence, the cool breeze was making her shiver.  
She felt something warm on her shoulders.  
Arthur took off his jacket and gave it to her.

"Thanks Arthur, I completely forgot to bring a jacket, are you sure you won't get cold?

"Not at all. Besides, it looks better on you"

Once she opened the door and got inside, Arthur squeezed her hand gently "See you soon Rose, and Thank you" he said smiling.

"Arthur, what the hell aren't you inside the car yet? I'm taking you home, mister"

"There's no need, I'd like to walk home" he replied and meant it, he needed time to think.

"I understand, Arthur, and if we were not living in Gotham, I'd let you do that but if I don't take you home I won't be able to sleep tonight"

In the end Arthur felt happy for letting Rose drive him home.  
He liked talking with her.  
His night started horribly but things weren't as bad now. He didn't feel so alone.

This time Rose dropped him off in front of his building, instead of the steps like last time, no matter how much he insisted.

Arthur thanked her once more and got off of the car denying Rose's attempts to give him back his jacket.

"You can return it next time we see each other, or just leave it to Peggy and she'll give it back to me next time I go visit her"

"Very well, thank you" replied Rose.

She watched him slowly entering the building and suddenly it downed on her that she wanted to spend more time with him. "I just want to make sure he's fine" she said to herself.

She checked the time in her watch, only half an hour after midnight. Not that late.

"am I really doing this?" she thought.  
Rose knew this was crossing forever one of the boundaries she put for herself in order not to get too involved with Arthur. There was no going back.

Right now she couldn't careless, she wanted to talk with him more.

"ARTHUR!" She yelled.

He turned around and ran back to her car.

"What? What happened?! I thought you left"

He thought someone tried to attack her.  
He never in a million years imagined she'd call him back for the reason she did.

"Nothing happened, I didn't even move from here. Listen, are you tired?"

"Uhm, no, not really" Arthur said confused.

"Do you wanna drive around a little? There's this place I know that sells the best hamburgers I've ever tried in my life and I'm really hungry..."

Arthur didn't need to think twice about it.

"OK, but it's my treat..." he said getting inside the car again.

"You buy the burgers and I'll buy us ice cream later"

"Deal"

And off they went into the night.


	5. Five

"Do you really believe it wasn't that bad?" asked Arthur. They were sitting in the steps of an old building listening to a band of streets musicians and eating ice cream.  
"Yes, I do. You have a very dark humor though, so you have to get used to some people getting offended by your jokes"  
"Should I change my type of humor?" That was more of an introspective question.  
"Nah! Just find an audience that likes it. The guy that came before you - I don't even remember his name- He had everybody laughing, but his jokes were lame..."  
Arthur didn't answer but she just gave him some new perspective to think about.  
The band was playing nice, slow music now and Arthur couldn't help closing his eyes and let himself get lost in the sound.  
Rose observed him closely, he was completely relaxed, arms loosely folded across his chest and his head slightly bowed with his eyes closed. "He looks so good when he's like this" she said in her head and that caught her off guard. She quickly looked somewhere else. "I think Annie's right and I really need to get myself a boyfriend, I'm finding anyone attractive at this point..."

The wind blowing gently was playing with their hairs. "tonight the weather is really beautiful" she said aloud, trying to change the course of her thoughts.  
"Yes, it is" was Arthur's only answer. He wasn't paying much attention to her.  
Or that's what she believed. He was very aware of her observing him, and the way their arms were slightly touching whenever she moved.  
Arthur slowly moved further to the side, breaking the contact. He really didn't want to start thinking of Rose as more than just a friend. She'd never see him that way and he wasn't ready to add one-sided attraction to the list of his emotional burdens.  
After some moments of comfortable silence she checked her watch, 3:30 in the morning.  
"Arthur..."  
"Yeah?" He said opening his eyes and coming back to reality.  
"I think it's time we go home"  
He stood up and helped Rose get up too.  
At that moment the band changed the rhythm and the music was more lively, Arthur started dancing as they were walking to the car, trying to make Rose join him.  
"No way Arthur!, I don't know how to dance, I'll only embarrass myself" Rose was laughing.  
"Just follow the rhythm" He took one of her hands and twirled her around.  
"Stop it! I'm pretty sure I look like a wet noodle trying to dance"  
Arthur laughed and this time it didn't sound painful and uncomfortable, the joy visible in his green eyes. "I'm sure is not like that Rose" he said smiling.  
She felt happy for taking the decision to spend time with Arthur tonight, seeing him like that for the first time ever, without the weight of the world on his shoulders and the sadness in his eyes... It was priceless. He wasn't shy and awkward with her anymore.  
Rose noticed that when he felt comfortable, he could be charming and funny.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
_Sunday morning_

It was 11 am and Rose was woken up by her grandmother. "Rosie, Anna is on the phone, says she needs to speak with you right now"  
Rose was feeling tired. She scrubbed her eyes, stretched and picked up the phone on the nightstand.  


"Annie?"

"Did I wake you?"

"Yes"

"It doesn't matter" replied Anna teasing.

"How went everything last night? Is Arthur OK?"

"He's fine, we had the most surreal night"

"Oh-my-God, did you two have sex?!" asked Anna enthusiastic.

"God no! Why are you saying that?"

"I was kidding Rosie, plus, you never shut up about him anyway, I think you like him more than you'll admit..."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. I didn't know what to think of him, I couldn't figure him out and that's the only reason I couldn't shut up about him. But last night I realized... He only needs friends you know? Someone who can see past his awkwardness"

"That's what I was thinking. So are you friends now or...? "

"I don't know, I think we're not, but we'll get there eventually."

"I'm glad to hear he's alright, I was worried about him."

"Yeah, me too. "

"Now I gotta change the subject and tell you something about Liam. He was seeing this girl but now he's not anymore and he's interested in you so I gave him your house's phone number, is that OK?"

"Did he tell you when he was calling?"

"Nope, but very soon, I assume. He really likes you... OK, now I gotta go, I need to eat something, then sleep some more, this hangover is killing me, see ya later"

"That’s like your natural state every Sunday morning. See you!" said Rose amused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Arthur was making lunch for his mother, who was sitting at the table watching.  
The radio was on and he was dancing around the kitchen. She noticed he was in an unusually good mood for some reason.  
"Happy, are you going somewhere today?"

"No mom, why? you need something?"

"No, I’m curious, that’s all. You've been going out a lot lately, do you have a special friend you're seeing?"

Arthur stiffened. He decided long ago that he preferred for her not to know about Peggy and Rose's existence, but it was true. He was going out more than usual.  
In the end he chose not to lie to her.

"Not a special someone, but I did made some friends."

"Oh! I'm glad for you, but..." She didn't finish her sentence.

"But?" Arthur pressed.

"I just hope they don't keep too much of your time for themselves, I'd miss you."

Arthur winced upon hearing that, he was grateful he wasn't facing his mother right now. He knew it! He knew she was going to say something like that.

"Don't worry mom, that won't happen " he said, leaving the plate in front of her, and after kissing her forehead went into his room.  
He hated Sundays.  
Sometimes he would for a walk alone in the park, (his mom never wanted to leave the apartment)  
Sometimes, those walks only made him feel worse. Seeing everybody with friends, families, lovers or even people alone that looked happy and satisfied with their lives.  
He tried to be happy, he was doing his best, he really was, but his mind always dragged him into that dark, cold room. But this Sunday and the one before felt lighter for some reason.  
Arthur was reflecting on the subtle changes in his mood since he met Peggy and Rose. He lit a cigarette and sitting on his bed, went through the pages of his journal. His handwriting was less messy and the subjects he wrote about weren’t as painful. He remembered that even last week the social worker noticed that change in him. And she'd never paid attention, so it must not be as subtle as he was thinking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Monday afternoon found Rose once again struggling in the busy downtown streets.  
Rude people getting on her nerves as always. Suddenly a bouquet of plastic flowers appeared in front of her. Rolling her eyes she turned around ready to snap at whoever dared interrupt her walking. Her frown changed instantly into grin upon seeing who it was.  
"Arthur, hi! It's so good to see you" It surprised even her how much she meant that. She really was very happy to see him. Rose noticed that he had what appeared to be rests of white paint on his neck and hairline.  
"Are you going home?" She asked. 

They started walking side by side.

"I need to buy some stuff, I wouldn't bless this hellish area with my presence otherwise." She changed the subject "Do you really need to go home now?"  
"Not at all" He was quick to answer. "That's why I was roaming around instead of going to the subway station right away... "  
"Why don't you come with me then? I wouldn't mind a little distraction"  
"Distraction from what exactly?" asked Arthur casually.  
"Other People" replied Rose smiling.  
"Alright, you little misanthrope"

"Are you celebrating a birthday party?" asked Arthur seeing how Rose went directly to grab balloons in the decorations area.  
"Many, actually. We're collectively celebrating in my classroom, for the kids that never had nor will ever have a birthday party" answered Rose putting candles in the shopping cart.  
"That's very sweet, when is the party? Is it during class hour?"  
"Yeah, we asked the permission of the principal and she agreed to it, the party is next Wednesday" replied Rose, trying to decide wich type of candy was better.  
"Listen, I can go animate the party as a gift for the kids, I swear they're gonna love it."  
Rose gave him such a sweet smile his heart melted.  
"Thank you Arthur! but only if it won't interfere with your working hours, OK?"  
"It won't, On Wednesdays I don't work in the mornings"  
He didn't mention it was because that day he had his appointments with the therapist. Surely, missing one session won't hurt.  
"OK, I'll you pick you up at 8:30 then, is that alright?"  
"It's perfect."  
After finishing shopping, Rose asked Arthur to grab some coffee with her and Anna who was waiting for her in a coffee shop.  
He really wanted to go, but his mother came to his mind. She's been asking him too much about his new friends and if he has plans with them. He decided the best thing to do was to just go home, at least for today.  
Anna was in the coffee shop waiting for her friend, sitting at a table next to a huge window overlooking the street. "She's taking too long" She thought, starting to get worried.  
She and Rose had agreed that they would meet this afternoon at 5. Anna looked at the watch on the wall 5:30. "Well, it's not that she's the most punctual person on the planet either... "  
She was surprised to see Rose approaching with someone. It was Arthur, both of them were carrying what looked like shopping bags.  
They were talking and laughing, she saw how Rose punched him in the arm for something he said as he dramatically overreacted making Rose punch him again, it was a funny scene and it made her chuckle. They were playing around as old friends.  
Anna thought it was absolutely remarkable how comfortable Rose seemed with him now versus just a couple of days ago.  
And Arthur changed too. For anyone that wasn't as observant as her, the slight changes in his posture while walking, his gestures and overall way he carried himself wouldn't be so apparent. But Anna noticed.  
He seemed to be benefiting from spending time with Rose.  


Rose entered the cafeteria full of shopping bags but Arthur didn't follow, he just waved hello to her from outside, say goodbye to Rose and went away crossing the street.

Rose kissed Anna's cheek and plopped herself on the chair.  
"Was that Arthur? Why didn't he come over?"  
"I don't know, said he has to make something..." answered Rose, reading the menu.  
"You two looked so happy together, should I tell Liam not to get his hopes too high?" said Anna facetiously.  
"It's definitely not like that Annie"  
"OK, OK, I was teasing. I know you only see him as a friend, but are you sure Arthur won't fall in love with you or at least feel something slightly more romantic than friendship?" added Anna more seriously this time.  
"Well, I don't know... I hope not, I don't wanna hurt him, but I don't think something like that will happen, to be honest" "We'll see" said Anna knowingly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
_Wednesday_

Arthur woke up early that day and started his routine oddly energized, making breakfast for his mother and eating some himself, it seemed like his appetite has been increasing, he noticed surprised.

Then, he went to his room to paint his face and put his clown clothes, dancing to the music on the radio.  
Once he got ready he went outside his building to wait for Rose, he lit a cigarette and noticed he felt... content? "Well, this is new" he said aloud.  
Every morning he woke up already feeling so tired, the only reason keeping him alive was the responsibility towards his mother, she needed him.  
If that wasn't the case he wouldn't leave his room, maybe he would let himself die in there.  
Somedays not even the threat of his mother and him ending up homeless was enough to make him get up from bed.  
In those kind of days his depression was so crushing he had to phone to work and talk with Gary, asking him to please speak with the boss on his behalf.  
Gary was a good man, he had helped him on countless occasions. "He is kind to me, I have to remember to be kind back" Arthur thought.  
Reminiscing on his bad days made him realize how light he was feeling, both in body and mind. When was the last time he felt like this? He couldn't remember. No worries, no sadness. Just normal. He just hoped it lasted for a long time.

Rose saw Arthur the moment she pulled around the corner, he was already in full costume and face full of make up. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Rose's car until she stopped on front of him.  
"Good Morning!" She said opening the door so he could get in.  
"Morning miss" Arthur replied smiling.

When they got there, he felt the old remnants of his school anxiety threatening to resurface. He had vague memories of these halls and classrooms, they all looked old and faded, exactly as they did decades ago when he was a child, it seemed this school was born old and nobody really made an effort to rejuvenate it. The students were mostly from the southern part of Gotham, the children of the poor, marginalized and forgotten. So for the eyes of the government this school shouldn't even exist.  
Instinctively, Arthur bowed his head while walking through the corridors as he did as a child, decades ago, to go as unnoticed as posible. But upon seeing Rose interacting with some students and stuff, he came back to the present and remembered he was very much an adult and it was pointless to feel like that now.  
They got so much fun putting up the balloons and decorations, the kids were elated and jumping up and down around the classroom.  
The other teacher, Elaine, brought four big cakes with the names of the children distributed in each one of them.  
Rose couldn’t hide her grin while watching Arthur interact with the kids, they were having a lot of fun. She remembered how difficult it was to imagine Arthur working as a clown and making children laugh, but seeing him now it was like seeing his true self.  


When Arthur left the school he felt happy and fulfilled. He knew that from now on the name of Gotham Elementary wouldn't be associated with bullying and pain anymore. The memory of Rose and the kids laughing washed away all of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Days had passed and he kept regularly visiting Peggy's house and seeing Anna and Rose here and there.  
Whenever they bumped into each other in downtown they would have coffee or do something together, he felt completely comfortable with Rose and Anna now.  
They became friends or at least that's how he saw them.  
His mother noticed too, and Arthur knew she was starting to resent his new friends.  
However that didn't stop him from going out with them, he decided not to feel guilty for trying to enjoy life any more.  


As time with Rose increased, his feelings for her were changing too, in spite of his best efforts to control them. Her smile, the sound of her laughter, her fake outrage at his darkest jokes only made her more irresistible to his eyes.

But he would never accept something like that, not even to himself. Even when he felt butterflies in his stomach thinking about her, or the way her little accidental touches felt on his skin.  
Not even that steamy dream he had that made him aware his meds haven't killed his libido after all, since he woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat and full of longing and need that he had to touch himself after he couldn't remember how long so he could go back to sleep.

But one night Arthur saw Rose passionately kissing Liam outside Peggy's house and felt so jealous he almost cried.

He felt proud at how quickly he recovered and spent the night talking with them, and even laughing at Liam jokes.  


He only left himself collapse once he got to his apartment, inside his room. "You're an idiot Arthur! You fucking masochist " he repeated looking at his reflection in the mirror. And at that moment he couldn't deny it anymore, he has hopelessly fallen in love with Rose.


End file.
